Following his win in the 200m — part of his 3-for-3 performance at the world athletics championships in Budapest — US sprinter Noah Lyles took a swipe at the NBA for calling the season winners world champions. ‘I watch the NBA Finals and they have “world champion” on their head. World champion of what? The United States?” Lyles said.
‘Don’t get me wrong. I love the US — at times — but that ain’t the world,’ the 26-year-old added. Lyles elaborated to say that track is a true international sport, adding ‘we have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag’. His playful comments drew a reaction from a number of NBA players, with Kevin Durant commenting on Instagram: ‘Somebody help this brother’.